‘We could sort something out. Maybe you could have the top floor, or we could re-fit out the cellar. I could get someone in to do it.’
‘You would really do that for me? For all of us?’
‘I suppose so.’
‘Thank you, Madison. If there is anything that I can do for you, please let me know.’
‘You can help me convince my brother you exist, without freaking him out too much.’
‘I will do my best not to … freak him.’
She laughed.
‘You are mocking me, Mademoiselle.’ He arched an eyebrow.
‘Yeah, Alex, I’m afraid I am.’
They looked at each other for a moment and then Alexandre broke the silence.
‘I must tell you I feel relief,’ he said.
‘Relief?’
‘Yes. Relief that you are who you are.’
‘Not quite understanding what you mean.’
‘Well, I am fortunate. You could have reacted towards me in quite a different manner. You could have been unwelcoming and hostile. You could have been frightened and defensive, or hysterical. But instead you have been kind. Friendly. Humorous. I am relieved.’
‘You’ve got a short memory,’ she said, tucking her hair back behind her ears. ‘Yesterday I was hostile and hysterical and today I was nervous and frightened.’
‘Frightened? Today? Really? I am sorry if I caused you to feel this way. You must know neither I nor my family would ever purposely do anything to harm you. I am as indebted to you as I was to Harold.’
‘Well, I was nervous before I met you again this evening. But you do seem pretty normal, for a vampire. And I’m glad we can talk like this.’
‘You know,’ Alexandre said, realising something. ‘In my time, it would not have been at all proper to be sitting alone with an unaccompanied female. It would have been quite scandalous.’
‘What? Just sitting talking?’
He nodded.
‘Yeah, course it would. All that Victorian prim and proper-ness. No one bothers about all that anymore.’
‘That is a good thing. It was very restricting and very boring and it landed me in much trouble.’
‘Yeah, I bet it did.’
‘You know, Madison?’ Alexandre smiled.
‘What, Alex?’
‘I am not feeling quite so sad anymore. You have cheered me greatly. Will you tell me more about your century?’
‘I don’t really know where to start. There’s so much going on now. Did you have cars back then?’
‘Cars? Like carriages on a train?’
‘No. You sit in them and drive them around the roads.’
‘Aah, you mean automobiles. Yes. But they were not so popular – too noisy and too expensive. Horses are far better.’
‘Yeah, well everyone’s got a car now and they’re still noisy and expensive, but I think they look a bit different than they did back then.’
‘I saw many last night. They are fast and very smooth and shiny.’
‘Planes too,’ she continued. ‘Aeroplanes? You can travel on them. They fly through the air and go to different countries.’
‘They carry passengers?’
‘Yep. You can go anywhere in the world.’
‘How many days would it take to reach America on an aeroplane?’
‘Not days. About nine or ten hours I think.’
‘Incredible! I do not believe this! Less than half a day? You must have been at least twice around the world already.’
‘Me? No. I haven’t been anywhere.’
‘But why ever not? If I had been born into this time, I would have spent all of my time travelling on aeroplanes.’
‘A little something called ‘money’. It’s not exactly cheap to fly and anyway, I never had the chance. Travelling’s for rich people, unless you go into debt.’
‘But you live here, in this beautiful house. Forgive me for being so personal, but you must be wealthy. Unless standards have changed so much and this is now basic accommodation.’
‘There’s nothing basic about this place. No, the thing is, we only just moved here. We used to have nothing.’
‘I am sorry. I did not mean to pry into your personal affairs. I am merely curious about how people live now.’
‘Fair enough.’ Maddy stared at his animated face. He looked almost like a normal human being. She kept forgetting what he was. He seemed young and naïve and this only endeared him to her even more. His thick wavy hair occasionally fell into his eyes and, out of habit, he kept pushing it back, even when he didn’t need to. She noticed he used his hands and arms a lot to demonstrate what he was saying, maybe that was a French thing.
Madison relaxed back into the sofa. Nerves still twisted inside, but she loved talking to him like this. She’d almost forgotten what it was like to have a proper conversation with someone, even if that someone was a century-old vampire.
‘So, tell me more,’ he continued. ‘What other advancements have been made?’ He leant back and stretched his long legs out onto a tapestried footstool.
Madison picked up the remote control and pressed the power button. After a second or two, the 42’ plasma screen flashed into life. An advert for crisps was running. Alexandre jumped up off the sofa and turned his head quickly from left to right. He hissed and looked at once threatening and terrified. Madison was shocked by his lightning reaction and she too leapt off the sofa. She stood by the door, ready to run.
‘Whoa! You made me jump, Alex.’ She exhaled, looking at him warily. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to freak you out. No need to panic, it’s just the television.’ She pointed to the screen. ‘Television. You watch stuff on it.’ She sat back down, her heart still thumping wildly.
Alexandre studied the television and walked towards it. He touched the screen with his fingertips.
‘I do not understand. There are real people inside the picture. They move. They speak. Are they trapped?’
‘No,’ Maddy laughed. ‘It’s called television or TV. It’s just images, like a moving photo.’
‘Are these then moving photographs of your family, or your friends?’
‘No. It’s like, umm. It’s hard to explain. Like, you know, stories or a play. Instead of going to the theatre, you can watch it on the TV.’
‘Amazing!’ Alexandre sat back down and stared at the screen. ‘This play is not so interesting. It appears to be about somebody cleaning their house.’
‘No!’ Maddy laughed again. ‘It’s an advert. They’re trying to sell you stuff to clean your house with. In the middle of programmes, they advertise things.’
‘Advertisements. I see. Very enterprising.’
She clicked off the television and silence descended.
‘I am a child again. I know less than nothing.’ Alexandre frowned. He felt stupid.
‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s all enough to freak anyone out. Maybe that’s enough info for one day.’
‘Info?’
‘Sorry, information. Maybe we should just talk about normal stuff. About your life. Paris. Tell me about Paris. All I know about Paris is that the Eiffel Tower’s there.’
‘The what?’
‘The Eiffel Tower. I might not be super-intelligent, but even I know that Paris is where the Eiffel Tower is.’
‘I am sorry, but I have never heard of this tower you are talking of.’
‘Hang on.’ Maddy jumped up, ran out of the room and came back a few minutes later with a small white machine. She sat down again and her fingers expertly tapped at some buttons. She leaned across and showed him an image on the contraption.
‘A small television?’ he asked, pointing to the picture.
‘Not quite. It’s called a laptop. I’ll explain in a minute. But tell me, is this or is this not The Eiffel Tower?’
The image showed a tall metal construction.
‘I have never seen this ugly building before,’ he said. ‘When was it built?’
‘I dunno. Hang on.?
?? She tapped some more buttons and Alexandre saw writing appear on the screen. ‘Yes. It’s nineteenth century. It was built in 1889.’
‘That explains it - I was last in Paris in 1881.’
She put the laptop down and looked at Alexandre. He had his head in his hands and he looked like he was trying hard to keep it together. Madison came and sat down next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder.
‘Hey, Alex, don’t worry. I’ll help you settle in. You’ll be fine. It’s just a bit weird for you, that’s all. We’ll work it out together, okay?’ She tried to give his shoulder a comforting squeeze, but it felt like stone beneath his jacket. ‘Alright?’
He nodded and looked sideways at her through his dark lashes, trying to smile.
They talked through the night. Madison was tired, but she couldn’t bear to drag herself away from him. He was so astonishing to look at and to listen to and he was funny and clever and vulnerable. She felt as though he valued her opinions, that she made some kind of difference to his state-of-mind. She wanted to banish his sadness, to be the cause of something better for him. She couldn’t put it into coherent thought. It just felt good to be around him and when he looked at her she felt so alive it almost hurt.
*
Madison awoke sometime the following morning. Still in the lounge, she lay on the sofa, covered over with the quilt from her bed. She pulled it up to her nose and smiled to herself. She must have fallen asleep at some point and Alexandre must have brought her quilt down and covered her with it. She hoped she hadn’t dribbled or snored. God, she must look a right mess. Her eyeliner would be smudged right down to her chin.
She heard voices outside; probably Morris talking to somebody or other. Sunlight filtered in through a gap in the curtains. She smiled to herself again and hugged her knees up to her chest. Alexandre. She said his name in her head, squeezed her eyes closed and recalled his face, his dark hair and his broad shoulders. She opened her eyes and saw … Esther.
‘Morning,’ the housekeeper said. ‘Fell asleep watching the box did you? Bad habit to get into. No good for your back, lying on that sofa all night.’
‘Thanks for the advice,’ Madison said, sitting up. The mood had been broken.
‘Don’t mind if I Hoover in here do you?’ Esther said without waiting for a reply. She pressed a button and the loud drone of the vacuum cleaner filled the room. Maddy sighed and left the room, dragging the quilt behind her.
She went back to bed and slept for most of the day. Even Ben didn’t wake up until early afternoon. That evening, Madison decided the inevitable could not be put off any longer; Ben and Alexandre would have to meet.
Chapter Twenty Three
*
Madison caught her breath as the door opened and the hesitant figure of Alexandre walked into the lounge. They greeted each other with nervous smiles. Ben looked up briefly before turning his attention back to the TV.
‘Ben, could you pause that for a second. I want to introduce you to someone. Do you remember? The person I told you about.’
Ben sighed and stopped the film.
Maddy stood and motioned to her brother to get up too.
‘Ben, this is Alexandre. Alexandre, Ben.’
‘Pleased to make your acquaintance,’ said Alexandre, extending his hand.
‘Yeah, hi. You’re the vampire statue right?’
‘That is correct. But you do not need to think of me as such. I am also a person like you.’
‘Mads,’ Ben turned to her. ‘Do you really think dressing some bloke up in a posh suit and asking him to speak in a French accent is gonna make me fall for it?’ He looked up at Alexandre. ‘It’s a good try, mate, but I’m not stupid.’
‘You do not believe me?’ Alexandre smiled.
‘Uh, no-o.’
‘Very well, what can I do to convince you?’
‘Ben,’ Maddy said. ‘Look at him. Don’t you recognise him? He’s the statue from the cellar.’
Ben looked. ‘All I can see is a bloke who’s dressed in the same lame clothes as that statue, but he ain’t a statue. He’s a person. Can I watch the rest of the film now?’
‘No. And don’t be so rude. I’m going to prove to you that Alex is a vampire. Alex, help me out here.’
‘Very well,’ Alexandre said, smirking. He transformed his face into a snarl and his top lip curled back to reveal a set of very sharp fang-like incisors.
‘Wow! That’s seriously sick!’ Ben stood on tiptoe to try and get a closer look. ‘Are they real? I’ve seen guys like you on documentaries. When did you get it done?’
Maddy had been quite unnerved by Alexandre’s display of teeth and she couldn’t believe Ben still wasn’t convinced.
‘Ben, he didn’t ‘get them done’. Those are his real teeth.’
‘Show me some super-vampire strength and I might believe you.’ Ben crossed his arms and stared at him with a cynical look in his eyes.
‘Very well,’ Alexandre smirked. He put his forefinger under the arm of the sofa and raised it up on its side, balancing it on his finger.
‘Cool! You’re strong, I’ll give you that. But a sofa isn’t exactly the heaviest thing in the world. What about lifting up Maddy’s ride?’
Alexandre lowered the sofa gently back onto the floor.
‘Ride?’ he asked.
‘He wants you to lift my Land Rover up. My automobile.’
‘Aah, good.’ Alexandre smiled and clapped his hands together. Come then.’
Maddy turned off the TV and they went outside into the cold woodsmoke air. Madison hopped up into the Land Rover and backed it out of the garage onto the gravel drive where Ben and Alexandre waited. Alexandre walked over to the enormous vehicle as Maddy jumped out.
‘Be careful, Alex,’ she said. ‘Don’t tip it over. I love my wheels.’
Alexandre looked at Ben with a gleam in his eye as he lifted the front of the vehicle up with one hand and kept it there. ‘Do you believe me now?’
‘No way!’ Ben laughed and jumped up and down. ‘You are the strongest dude ever! Where did you get him, Mads? Awesome!’
‘Does this mean he believes me?’ Alexandre asked Madison. He lowered the vehicle back down onto the gravel without dropping it so much as a millimetre.
‘No,’ she scowled. ‘It just means he thinks you’re strong. You’re gonna have to do something more drastic.’
‘I am beginning to feel like a performing monkey. Very well. Ben, would you be so kind as to fetch me an axe.’
‘An axe? What you gonna do with that? Murder me and chop me up?’
‘You have an active imagination. No.’
‘Just get the axe, shortie.’
‘Okay I’m going, I’m going. In the shed, right?’
Maddy nodded. While he fetched it, she looked at Alexandre and shrugged her shoulders. ‘Well, I didn’t expect that reaction. I thought he’d freak out big time, as soon as he saw you. I mean, to me, you look kind of supernatural.’
‘I do not know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment.’
‘Oh, I didn’t mean …’
‘Do not worry. I will convince him.’
‘What are you actually going to do with the axe? I don’t know if I’m comfortable with this.’
‘It will be fine.’
Ben reappeared. ‘Got it,’ he said. ‘What now?’
‘Follow me,’ replied Alexandre, leading them back into the warmth of the drawing room. Madison’s and Ben’s cheeks were flushed from the cold night air, but Alexandre’s face stayed marble-white. ‘Use the axe to chop this small log on the hearth,’ Alexandre said to Ben.
Ben took a breath and raised the sharpened axe. He brought it down heavily and split the log lengthways.
‘What now?’ he asked Alexandre.
Alexandre lay on his side next to the split log and rested his arm on the stone hearth. He used his eyes to show Ben what he wanted him to do.
‘You want me to chop your arm off?’ Ben asked. ‘What is
it? A fake arm?’
‘You are a very cynical young man.’ Alexandre sat up, took off his jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeve. ‘Does that look real to you?’
Ben nodded at the pale muscled perfection of Alexandre’s arm. Both he and Madison were impressed. Alex lay back down on his side and put his bare arm in place.
‘This is a bit weird, Maddy,’ Ben said. ‘Sure you’re not just completely off your heads?’
‘Totally sure, mate. Just do what the nice vampire asks and we can all relax.’
‘Okay,’ Ben said. ‘I’m gonna do it. You sure about this?’ he asked Alexandre.
‘Not too hard, you might hurt yourself,’ the vampire replied with a wink.
Ben raised the gleaming axe and brought it down very softly, wincing. The axe made no mark.
Madison had a flashback to two days ago when she’d really tried to harm Alexandre. She recalled her wild anger as she’d hacked at his chest with the pick axe, failing to make even a graze on his skin.
She shivered, feeling uncomfortable and guilty for the hatred and blazing fury which had consumed her. She could not quite believe how she could have so completely changed her attitude towards him in such a short space of time. From terror to … something else.
‘You can try a little harder,’ Alexandre smiled encouragingly at Ben. He raised the axe again and brought the blade down with slightly more force this time. The axe clanged and bounced off Alexandre’s arm.
‘Wow!’ Ben said, dropping the axe and shaking his arm.
Alexandre smiled.
Ben looked from Madison to Alexandre. ‘What an awesome trick! Can you teach me that? How did you do it? Is that a David Blaine thing?’
‘Ben!’ Madison said. ‘It’s not a trick. It’s his arm and a real axe. He really is that strong. Try again.’
‘No, that really hurt my wrist,’ Ben rubbed it with his other hand. ‘It’s a good trick, but my arm’s pretty sore right now.’
‘I apologise,’ said Alexandre, standing up.
‘No worries, man. It was worth it to see such a cool stunt.’
‘Ben!’ Maddy said again. She turned to Alexandre. ‘Help me out. How do we convince him?’ She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.
‘Watch me, Ben,’ said Alexandre, standing by the hearth, looking intently at the boy. Ben looked at him, and then, suddenly he just wasn’t there. Ben spun around. Alexandre had vanished from the room and there was a tapping on the window. Ben and Maddy looked out to see Alexandre smiling on the other side of the glass. Then, an instant later, they saw him standing in the middle of the front lawn, two hundred yards away. In the time it took for Ben’s jaw to drop, Alexandre was back in the lounge, sitting composed on the sofa.